


You, Me, (Eddie Get Your Foot Out of My Face!) and Huckleberry Finn Makes Three

by LuddleBubble



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Fluff, M/M, No actual spoilers, fluff without plot honestly, i wrote this to cope with the movie, just seven best friends in a normal shitty town, language warning-but that's just because of Richie and Eddie, the hammock is as far as it goes, toby writes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 20:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20570564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuddleBubble/pseuds/LuddleBubble
Summary: Richie Tozier has to read a book for class, but his annoying crush won't leave him alone long enough to read. They work something out without saying anything. The Losers get a good laugh in, meanwhile.





	You, Me, (Eddie Get Your Foot Out of My Face!) and Huckleberry Finn Makes Three

Ms. Jeffords. The most annoying teacher in school- so of course Richie had been placed in her AP English class for the year. Ms. Jeffords, who was a short and round woman with the face of a horse, was going out of her way to load the "smart kids" down with homework. Read four chapters of this! Write an essay about that! I want your testicles on my desk tied neatly in a bow by the end of the class! All Richie wanted to do was hang out with the Losers- not do homework in the corner like a nerd. 

But Richie cared about his grades, sadly, because they were his only hope of getting out of Derry. He needed good grades for a scholarship, just like the rest of his friends (except for Stan and Bill, who were riding on their baseball skills as well as their grades.) So Richie had the Huckleberry Finn book he was supposed to read when he got to the clubhouse. Beverly, Stan, and Ben were sitting in the clubhouse with music playing softly throughout their luxurious hideout. 

The seven of them had worked all summer following Ben's directions and aspirations for their underground hangout. It was deep enough that their heads didn't touch the ceiling, but most of the boys were getting taller and that wouldn't last much longer. 

The clubhouse had been made into a second home for the seven of them. Small things from their homes- the only good parts, in some of their cases- had been brought down into the Barrens to be placed on the shelves and the small tables in the squared hole. There was a portable stereo that Richie had bought, containers of snacks had been brought by Eddie, Ben had brought music as well as a few rugs for the ground, Bev had decorated with scraps of wallpaper and blankets, Mike had brought cushy seats- even though some springs were protruding from the cotton, they had made do-, and Stan had brought books to add to the small spaces on the shelfs. The best part was the hammock that Bill had snagged from his attic.

They had placed the hammock between two of the sturdiest parts of the clubhouse, which was extremely sturdy minus the one pole towards the middle, and would take turns relaxing on it. Taking turns meant that Richie hogged it until Bev or Stan would come by and throw him out of it. Which was often.

None of them were swinging in the navy blue hammock, just sitting around and talking. Richie dropped his backpack on the ground after descending the ladder and shedding his jacket. It was always warming in here than outside, which was an amazing thing in the fall. They hadn't faced a winter yet, but Richie had a space heater he was going to bring- if they could figure out how to get electricity down there. 

The moment he sat back in the hammock, he felt his shoulders untense. This was a safe place to him, one to all of them. Unless you were part of their inner circle, you wouldn't be able to find this place. It was just theirs. Not anyone else's. It was theirs and Richie could feel- as sappy and dumb as it was to say- that this is his home. Not with Maggie and Wentworth Tozier. But with his friends in a hole in the ground. As long as he was with them- he'd be happy.

"Richie Tozier? Reading a book? My, my, how Ms. Bitchfords had changed you." Bev teased, but she had her math book open and in her lap. Ben was behind her, scribbling something that looked like more building plans. Stan was working on a puzzle in the corner, a flashlight dangling from the ceiling above him.

"You could say I've changed her. After all, I did bend her over he-"

"Beep, beep, Richie." Stan said it softly and pressed one of the jagged edges together. It made a soft click noise and Richie fought off a smile. He grabbed at the flashlight above him and turned it on, angling it to hit the words on his book. 

It was The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. It was a banned book at the school, but Ms. Jeffords had talked the School Board into letting them read it. It wasn't too interesting, but only because Richie hadn't bothered to open the book yet. He wasn't too interested in much besides comics, but he had been known to read the occasional book. Gone With The Wind? Classic. Pet Sematary? Legendary. Cat In The Hat? Iconic. 

Richie had barely gotten through the first lines of chapter one when someone else began to descend down the ladder. For a split second- which was always a fear- he was worried that maybe Henry Bowers or one of his goons had found their hideout, but that fear was squashed when he saw the familiar red and white striped socks.

Eddie Kaspbrak descended the ladder's rungs. His red fanny pack was fastened around his waist like a shitty Lifeguard. The fist thing he did was sling down his backpack and toss the pack on top of it. His eyes fell on the occupied hammock and he frowned. Richie tried not to stare at him, but it just wasn't going his way. The door to the clubhouse let light in and it was pouring in around Eddie. His brown hair looked golden in the light and the freckles on his face looked like dirt. Richie bit the inside of his cheek. Dirt? Since when was dirt pretty?

"No! You were the last one to be in the hammock last night. I want a turn!" Eddie toed his shoes off and kicked them towards his backpack. Richie rolled his eyes at the childish look on his friend's face. He looked like a grouchy toddler- which was Eddie in a nutshell. A cute, annoying, adorable, toddler.

"I just got here! I'm too comfortable to move. Looks like you're out of luck, Eds." Richie made a dramatic scene of turning the page in his book. He hadn't finished reading the page yet, but nobody needed to know that. It was for dramatic effect, after all.

"I hate it when you call me Eds. Let me on!" Eddie was tugging Richie's leg. He was trying to move him as little as possible, which was always what happened, but Richie never said anything. He knew that if Eddie really wanted the hammock to himself, he would flip Richie out of it like Stan and Bev did. Instead, Eddie usually wanted to sit with Richie.

Richie didn't understand why he wanted to, but he didn't mind at all. In made Richie feel warm, physically and not. Eddie was like a human space heater, which was surprising since he only wore shorts and t-shirts. 

Eddie picked up Richie's legs and crawled into the navy blue hammock. He got comfortable and let one of his legs stretch out towards the curly haired teen and the other folded up under Richie's knee. Richie rolled his eyes again, biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't smile and let Eddie know how much he enjoyed it. It might have been a trick of the light, but he thought that behind that annoyed expression on his friend's face, that one of his cheeks had a little indention now.

Bev swore and crumbled up the piece of scrap-paper she had been working on. She chucked it toward the small trash can in the corner. It sunk into the basket effortlessly. She always had good aim, especially when it came to throwing rocks. Richie looked away from the corner and focused back on his book. He gently and subtly switched back to the first page. He read almost half of a sentence before Eddie's socked foot smacked him face.

"I didn't know you knew how to read." Eddie's big toe poked into Richie's ear and he squirmed. He smacked Eddie's foot away from him with the hard-backed book. Eddie yelped and retracted his limb from Richie's immediate reach. Richie opened the book again and tried to read.

Eddie hadn't said anything or moved around for a few seconds and Richie peeked up at him. He was pouting, looking off to the side. The Losers were split up into different classes during the day, so breakfast, lunch, and after school was the only times they got to spend together. Eddie must have been bored, because he was wanting attention and Richie wasn't giving it to him. Richie thought for a second about how to provoke his friend into a fight before deciding on something.

"Don't be sad. Cause sad spelled backwards is 'das' and das not good." Richie pinched Eddie's leg that his own was propped on top of. Eddie's head snapped around to Richie's with a dumbfounded look on his face. He sputtered before moving his hands around.

"What the fuck did you just say, Trashmouth?"

"I said das not good." Richie enunciated and pinched Eddie again for emphasize. Eddie smacked his hand away from the skin on his leg. 

"That's not even a real word!" Eddie exclaimed. Richie fought back his smile and instead went to pinch Eddie again. Eddie wiggled away from him, the hammock singing back and forth a little. 

"Yes, it is!"

"Oh, yeah? Use it in a word then!" Eddie challenged. Richie felt a grin spread across his face and Eddie's smile dropped. He knew what was coming. After all, most of their arguments ended up with Richie joking about his mother.

"Das not what your mom sai-"

"Beep, beep, Richie!" Eddie had launched forward and tried to hit Richie in the face, but something had gone wrong. Their legs had tangled up together and Eddie began to fall over the edge. One of Richie's hands shot out to grab him and the other grabbed the side of the hammock. Within the next few seconds, Eddie was pulled back on, grabbing onto Richie and somehow still managing to fall sideways.

Nobody had been paying attention to the two until the posts holding up the wood above them creaked. Ben, Bev, and Stan looked up, hoping that the ceiling wasn't about to fall down onto them. It was not, thankfully. But the hammock was looking more like a cocoon now.

The two teens had managed to twist the hammock around so they were wrapped up in the middle and being held upside down. They were tightly bound up and the ropes at the ends of the contraption were twisted up thickly, suggesting they had done a 360 degree spin more than once.

"What the fuck! I can't- breathe-" Eddie's words were muffled by the fabric and the laughter barreling out of his friends.

"I think I got motion sick..." Richie's words were strained and Eddie audibly gasped.

"What?"

"I think I'm about to vomit!" Richie's voice cracked and the blanket started bubbling with Eddie's frantic movement.

"Don't you fucking dare! Richie, don't you fucking dare!" Eddie was screeching, making the hammock sway like crazy. Stan howled with laughter and Beverly was clutching her stomach. Ben was red in the face, slapping his thigh and trying to breath. Soon enough, Richie started making gagging noises and Eddie's warning screeches turned into ones of horror.

With an ungraceful few flips, the two boys were tossed out of the hammock and sprawled on the dirt floor. There was no vomit, just Richie with tears streaming down his face and his chest shaking with laughter. Eddie still looked horrified, but his cheeks were turning rosy and he was trying to suppress his own giggles. Soon enough, the five of them were all howling with laughter, crying, and clutching their stomachs. 

Eddie was smacking Richie gently, his laughter weakening his blows. Richie was trying to pinch Stan now, but he couldn't extend his arms without his stomach hurting from the laughter. They all calmed down soon though, and the hammock was once again underneath Richie. It wiggled a bit easier now, which was something Ben would have to fix.

A sobered up Eddie crawled onto Richie, this time his back was resting against the taller one's chest. Eddie's hips were resting the split of Richie's legs, their feet tangled together. If any of the other Losers noticed- they did, but they didn't mind either- they didn't comment. Eddie held the Huckleberry Finn book up and Richie cracked it open again.

"What's it about?" Eddie asked. Richie shrugged and found his place on the first page. He was one the second sentence, but he didn't remember what he'd read so far. His eyes flickered to the start of the paragraph, his brain trying to ignore the perfect way that Eddie's body fit with his. His chest felt like it would explode painfully any second, but that had nothing to do with Eddie's weight.

Richie rested his chin on top of Eddie's hair. Eddie's hand wormed around the book and found one of Richie's hands that were propping it up. This was something that had been happening recently- it had really been happening forever but the two of them were just beginning to notice how the felt about it- and would send jolts of electricity pulsing through Richie's veins. Eddie's fingers rested over Richie's, not quite holding hands, but close enough to make their hearts skip beats.

"How bout I just read it to you? Since you obviously won't let me read it myself." Richie talked softly, trying to spare Eddie's ears. Eddie made a sort of noise and Richie took that as yes. He looked at the top of the page and began to read aloud.

After about a chapter and a half, Richie spared a glance at Eddie's face. His eyes were closed peacefully and for a second Richie thought he'd fallen asleep. Then the long, dark, eyelashes fluttered like wings and those warm brown eyes were looking up at Richie. Richie felt his cheeks go rosy and watched as Eddie's eyes flickered to his cheeks.

"You quit annoying me, so I figured you fell asleep." Eddie grinned and shook his head.

"I was listening. Now, get back to the ransoming of the women. Tom's got a point with the wooing." Eddie repositioned his head and closed his eyes again.

"He's talking about Stockholm Syndrome, Eds."

"Yeah and I'm talking about the disappearance of the female species. No offense, Bev- we'd keep you." Eddie was grinning and Bev rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but we give them Stanley." Richie offered and Eddie giggled. Without looking up from his puzzle, Stan flipped them off. Eddie giggled harder, the vibrations from his chest making Richie feel like he was holding onto a- well never mind that.

"Alright, back to the ransoming then." Richie started reading the pages again. Soon enough though, he felt Eddie's breathing even out on top of him. He was asleep this time, but Richie didn't stop reading. He only curled his fingers around Eddie's palm, feeling smile overwhelm his face when Eddie curled his fingers around Richie's hand in response.

Yeah, Richie didn't mind this. In fact, he believed he loved it.


End file.
